My research uncovers the evolutionary story of ornithopod dinosaurs, exploring their diversity, relationships, and large-scale transformations across the Jurassic and Cretaceous. I completed my PhD at NOVA University of Lisbon, where I focused on iguanodontians and their palaeobiogeographic history. Today, I investigate evolutionary patterns through time and across space, with a particular interest in how anagenesis and cladogenesis interact to generate the biodiversity we observe in the fossil record. My work also examines the ecological and environmental contexts linked to these processes, asking which conditions may have driven or constrained evolutionary change. Currently, I focus on Late Jurassic iguanodontians from the iconic Morrison Formation of the United States, integrating comparative anatomy, phylogenetics, and macroevolutionary analyses to better understand their evolutionary success.  

Teaching Experience & Courses Taught

Teaching assistant – NOVA School of Science and Technology, Portugal

• Taphonomy & Palaeoecology (2021-2022): 6ECTS, 60 hours. Language: EN.  
• Morphological Phylogenetics (2020-2021): 30 hours. Language: EN.

Guest Lecturer & Tutor – NOVA School of Science and Technology, Portugal

• Vertebrate Paleontology (2019-2020): 3 hours; (2020-2021): 2 hours
• Comparative anatomy (2019-2020): 4 hours. Language: EN.

Guest Lecturer & Tutor – Università di Bologna, Italy

• Seminar: Inside Out – applicazione di tecnologia virtuale in paleoantropologia e paleontologia dei vertebrati. (November, 2022) 5 hours. Language: IT.
• Seminar: Filogenesi morfologica in paleontological dei vertebrati: unaintroduzione (November, 2022) 5 hours. Language: IT.

Grants & Research Funding

Projects

• SFRH/BD/146230/2019 – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal (2020-2024) Principal Researcher and grantee. (Doctoral grant project) Value: 63.547,32
• COVID/BD/153554/2024 - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal (2020-2024) Principal Researcher and grantee. (Doctoral grant project, covid extension) Value: 6.981,14€
• PTDC/CTA-PAL/2217/2021 – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal (2021-2024). Researcher (Research group project) Value: 249.478 €
• UIDB/04035/2020 “GeoBioTec-GeoBioSciences, GeoTechnologies and GeoEngineering. – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia PR: Prof. Fernando Rocha, Aveiro University. 01/01/2019 to 31/12/2019. 1,035,000.00€. Researcher. (Research unit project) Value: 1.035.000,00€.

Research Grants:       

• DE-TAF-TA4-026: Assessing the evolutionary role of ontogenetic transformation within early diverging iguanodontian dinosaurs – European Commission, Belgium (2023). Principal Researcher and grantee.
• ES-1225: The oldest ornithischian dinosaur perinate from Europe and the palaeobiology of basal iguanodontian dinosaurs – European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, France (2022). Principal Researcher and grantee.     
• Jurassic Foundation Grant: Evolution and paleobiogeography of European Iguanodontian dinosaurs at Jurassic and Cretaceous transition. 1500 $ (2021)

Principal Researcher and grantee.

• DragonClaw Project: reavaliação do holótipo de Draconyx loureiroi. 3800 €.– Museu da Lourinhã, Portugal (2020).

2026

• Riccardo Rocchi, Filippo Maria Rotatori, Gabriel S. Ferreira, Federico Fanti An exquisitely preserved young iguanodontian from the Upper Jurassic of Tanzania sheds light on skeletal fusion patterns within Archosauria. Papers in PalaeontologyVolume 12, Issue 3 e70085 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.70085
• Quaranta, M., Rotatori, F.M., Gamboa, S. et al. Walking with giants: exploring dispersals routes in Giraffidae. J. Mamm. Evol. 33, 16 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-026-09820-8
• Quaranta, M., Rotatori, F. M., Gamboa, S., Martino, R., Ríos, M. Walking with giants: exploring dispersal routes in Giraffidae. Journal of Mammalian Evolution (2026) DOI: 10.1007/s10914-026-09820-8
• Rotatori, F. M., Chiarenza, A. A., Fanti, F., Moreno-Azanza, M. The early origin of Iguanodontia: new insights into the macroevolution, diversity and biogeography of the clade. Palaeontology (2026) DOI: 10.1111/pala.70057

2025

• Rotatori, F. M., Escaso, F., Camilo, B., Bertozzo, F., Malafaia, E., Mateus, O., Mocho, P., Ortega, F., Moreno-Azanza, M. Evidence of large-sized ankylopollexian dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Iguanodontia) in the Upper Jurassic of Portugal. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology (2025) DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2025.2470789
• Maréchal, A., Rotatori, F. M., Merella, M., Puértolas-Pascual, E., Sequero, C., Pereira, R., Nsungani, P., et al. A new Maastrichtian hyposaurine dyrosaurid (Crocodylomorpha) from Namibe province, Angola. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (2025) DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf092
• Galván, S., Gamboa, S., Chiarenza, A. A., Rotatori, F. M., Oliver, A., Varela, S. Future Palaeontologists Will Detect Current Mammal Latitudinal Biodiversity Gradient. Global Ecology and Biogeography (2025) DOI: 10.1111/geb.70075
• Patrocínio, S., Panciroli, E., Rotatori, F. M., Milàn, J., Clemmensen, L. B., Crespo, V. D. The oldest definitive docodontan from central East Greenland sheds light on the origin of the clade. Papers in Palaeontology (2025) DOI: 10.1002/spp2.70022

2024

• Martino, R., Sianis, P. D., Estraviz-López, D., Rotatori, F. M., Conti, S., Ríos, M. Disentangling morphological variation in metapodials of giraffids: Modern and traditional approaches. Organisms Diversity & Evolution (2024) DOI: 10.1007/s13127-024-00647-w
• Rotatori, F. M., Ferrari, L., Sequero, C., Camilo, B., Mateus, O., Moreno-Azanza, M. An unexpected early-diverging iguanodontian dinosaur (Ornithischia, Ornithopoda) from the Upper Jurassic of Portugal. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (2024) DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2024.2310066

2023

• Rotatori, F. M., Quaranta, M., Bertozzo, F., Hübner, T., Camilo, B., Mateus, O., Moreno-Azanza, M. Hadrosaur-like vascularisation in the dentary of an early diverging iguanodontian dinosaur. Historical Biology (2023) DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2023.2238727

2022

• Rotatori, F. M., Moreno-Azanza, M., Mateus, O. Reappraisal and new material of the holotype of Draconyx loureiroi (Ornithischia: Iguanodontia) provide insights on the tempo and modo of evolution of thumb-spiked dinosaurs. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (2022) DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab113

2020

• Rotatori, F. M., Moreno-Azanza, M., Mateus, O. New information on ornithopod dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic of Portugal. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica (2020) DOI: 10.4202/app.00661.2019